Judge calls Justice Department's statements on slavery exhibit display 'dangerous' and 'horrifying'

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge warned Justice Department lawyers on Friday that they were making "dangerous" and "horrifying" statements when they said the Trump Administration can decide what part of American history to display at National Park Service sites.

The sharp exchange erupted during a hearing in Philadelphia over the abruptremovalof anexhibiton the history of slavery at the site of the former President's House on Independence Mall.

The city, which worked in tandem with the park service on the exhibit two decades ago, was stunned to find workers this month using crowbars to remove outdoor plaques, panels and other materials that told the stories of the nine people who had been enslaved there. Some of the history had only been unearthed in the past quarter-century.

"You can't erase history once you've learned it. It doesn't work that way," said Senior U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe, an appointee of President George W. Bush.

The removal followed President Donald Trump's executive order "restoring truth and sanity to American history" at the nation's museums, parks and landmarks. In Philadelphia, the materials were put in a pickup truck and then into storage, leading Rufe to voice concerns about whether they were damaged.

"Although many people feel strongly about this (exhibit) one way, other people may disagree or feel strongly another way," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory in den Berken.

"Ultimately," he said, "the government gets to choose the message it wants to convey."

Rufe swiftly cut him off.

"That is a dangerous statement you are making. It is horrifying to listen to," she said. "It changes on the whims of someone in charge? I'm sorry, that is not what we elected anybody for."

Rufe heard hours of testimony Friday from former city officials who had helped plan the exhibit, and said the city had kicked in $1.5 million toward the project. She plans to visit both the storage area and the site before ruling on the city's request to have the exhibit restored. But she asked the Justice Department lawyers to ensure that nothing else is disturbed.

In den Berken said the Park Service routinely changes its exhibits and tours, and argued that the government cannot be forced to tell a certain story. But lawyers for the city and other advocates said the park service does not have "carte blanche" to interpret the nation's history as it sees fit.

The exhibit includes biographical details about the nine people enslaved by George and Martha Washington at the presidential mansion. Now, only their names — Austin, Paris, Hercules, Christopher Sheels, Richmond, Giles, Oney Judge, Moll and Joe — remain engraved into a cement wall.

Michael Coard, an attorney representing one of the advocacy groups supporting the exhibit, said the president was ignoring the power held by Congress, the judiciary and the American people.

"It's one thing to whisper that type of dictatorial power. But to send lawyers into a public courtroom to make that argument is absolutely frightening," he said. "I'm really worried about the state of America."

Rufe said she planned to rule quickly, noting the surge of visitors expected to visit the nation's birthplace this year to mark its 250th anniversary of being founded.

Residents who have visited the site have shed tears, left flowers and left a handmade sign that said "Slavery was real."

byAdministrator

in

1/31/2026 05:32:00 PM

Judge calls Justice Department's statements on slavery exhibit display 'dangerous' and 'horrifying'

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge warned Justice Department lawyers on Friday that they were making "dangerous...

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Thousands face another arctic blast without power as East Coast preps for a storm

NASHVILLE (AP) — Frustrations were bubbling up Friday for the tens of thousands who have beenwithout power for nearly a weekin the U.S. South as a new storm looms, including Tennessee's residents in Nashville, where the utility was criticized for storm preparations and recovery.

Winter Weather Tennessee

Terry Miles, a 59-year-old construction worker whose home has been without power since Sunday, said he's using a fish fryer for heat and is worried about carbon monoxide.

"I'm taking a chance of killing myself and killing my wife, because why?" Miles said after attending a Nashville Electric Service news conference intended to showcase the utility's repairs on poles and lines. He then pointed to officials.

"I came up here to speak my mind because I've been so cold," he said. "This is the coldest and worst I've ever been in my damn life."

Crews have been working by ground and air to restore the lingering outages as another storm is predicted to hit the East Coast, threatening near-hurricane force winds, heavy snow and flooding, while arctic air moves into the Southeast.

More than 186,000 homes and businesses were without electricity Friday, with the vast majority of those outages in Mississippi and Tennessee, according to the outage tracking websitepoweroutage.us.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said he has shared "strong concerns" with Nashville Electric Service leadership, saying communication and power restoration must improve.

Residents "need a clear timeline for power restoration, transparency on the number of linemen deployed, and a better understanding of when work will be completed in their neighborhood," Lee said.

In Nashville, where more than 60,000 homes and businesses remain powerless, the city's electrical service has defended its approach, saying it was an unprecedented storm.

A video on the Tennessee Valley Authority's Facebook page shows a worker sitting on the skids of a hovering helicopter so they can repair a giant power structure.

Arctic air moving into the Southeast will cause already frigid temperatures to plummet into the teens (minus 10 Celsius) on Friday night in cities like Nashville.

Forecasters say thesubfreezing weatherwill persist in the eastern U.S. into February and there's high chance ofheavy snowin the Carolinas, Virginia and northeast Georgia this weekend, possibly up to a foot (30 centimeters) in parts of North Carolina. Snow is also possible along the East Coast from Maryland to Maine.

On Saturday night and early Sunday, forecasters expect wind and snow that could lead to blizzard conditions before the storm starts to move to sea.

Snow should pile up in the Carolinas

Several inches of snow, possibly 1 foot (30.5 centimeters) in some locations, were forecast statewide, particularly in eastern counties.

Hundreds of state National Guard soldiers were ready to help. State workers have also been preparing roads.

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In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a town more accustomed to hurricanes, traffic jams and tourists, the National Weather Service predicted 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow.

The city has no snow removal equipment. Mayor Mark Kruea said they will "use what we can find" — maybe a motor grader or bulldozer to scrape streets.

"With a hurricane you can storm proof many things," Kruea said Friday. "But at a place like this, there is only a few things you can do to get ready for snow."

In North Carolina, several inches of snow, possibly 1 foot (30.5 centimeters) in some locations, were forecast statewide, particularly in eastern counties.

In Dare County, home to much of North Carolina's Outer Banks, longtime resident Bob Woodard said he's worried about that more unoccupied houses in communities like Rodanthe and Buxtoncould collapse into the Atlantic Ocean.

Hypothermia risks grow

With the wave of dangerous coldheading for the South, experts say the risk of hypothermia heightens for people in parts of Mississippi and Tennessee who are entering their sixth day trapped at home without power in subfreezing temperatures.

People who are more vulnerable — the elderly, infants and those with underlying health conditions — may have started experiencing hypothermia symptoms within hours of exposure to the frigid temperatures, explained Dr. Zheng Ben Ma, medical director of the University of Washington Medical Center's northwest emergency department. That can include exhaustion, slurred speech and memory loss.

"Once you get into days six, seven, upward of 10, then even a healthy, resilient person will be more predisposed to experiencing some of those deleterious effects of the cold temperature," he said.

Frostbite is also a concern in southern states, where people might not own clothes for northern winters, said Dr. David Nestler, an emergency medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

Mississippi and Tennessee still seeking full power

Mississippi officials say it's the state's worst winter storm since 1994. About 80 warming centers were opened in one of the nation's poorest states. National Guard troops were delivering supplies by truck and helicopter.

Yazoo Valley Electric Power Association workers, some of whom don't have power at their own homes, are working 16-hour days to restore electricity in Mississippi.

Nearly 90 people have died in bitter cold from Texas to New Jersey. Roughly half the deaths were reported in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. While some deaths have been attributed to hypothermia, others are suspected to be related to carbon monoxide exposure. Officials have not released specific details about how some of the people died.

The arctic cold was expected to plungeas far south as Florida.

Associated Press writers Jeff Martin in Kennesaw, Georgia; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; Jonathan Mattise and Travis Loller in Nashville, Tennessee; Allen G. Breed in Wake Forest, North Carolina; Sarah Brumfield in Washington; David Fischer in Fort Lauderdale; Devi Shastri in Milwaukee and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

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in

1/31/2026 05:32:00 PM

Thousands face another arctic blast without power as East Coast preps for a storm

NASHVILLE (AP) — Frustrations were bubbling up Friday for the tens of thousands who have beenwithout power for nearly a w...

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‘Mommy, open the door’: Mother recounts her terror as her 5-year-old was taken by ICE

The mother of a5-year-old boy who was takenwith his father in Minnesota last week described her anguish as she watched from a window as immigration agents whisked her child and partner away.

Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrián Alexander Conejo Arias, were returning from Liam's preschool on Jan. 20 when they were confronted by immigration agents, according to Zena Stenvik, the superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools. A school board member who witnessed the father's arrestsaid last weekthat she heard an adult inside the home pleading with agents to leave the child.

Erika Ramos, Liam's mother, told Telemundo in Spanishthat she "witnessed the scene from the window and couldn't do anything. Adrián begged me repeatedly not to go outside because he was afraid they would arrest me too."

Ramos said the immigration officers noticed her, took Liam out of their car and brought him to the front door so she would open it.

"They knocked and knocked, and my son Liam kept saying, 'Mommy, open the door.' I was terrified," she said while sobbing.

She said she didn't open the door out of fear she would be arrested and her other child would be left alone.

"When I didn't open the door, they took Liam to the ICE van. It all seemed like an attempt to free me, to provoke me, as if they wanted me to run out desperately for my son so they could arrest me as well," she told Telemundo.

"They used my boy as bait. Even so, my husband desperately insisted that I not go out, especially because we have another child and I am pregnant," she said. "His only intention was to protect us, like any responsible husband and father."

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Friday that the child's father fled from agents who approached his car, leaving Liam.

"For the child's safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias," DHS said.

Ramos denied DHS' allegations, saying, "I repeat, at no point did my husband do what they're saying, abandon my son. No, at no point did he do that."

The agency said Liam's mother refused officers' attempts to have her take custody of the boy. His father agreed to keep Liam in his care, DHS said.

Both Liam and his father were moved from Minnesota to Texas, and the restraining order says they are in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center.

Ramos said she is worried about her son's health. She said she had spoken with her husband and he told her Liam has been sick.

"He says he has a fever, he has a stomachache, he has diarrhea," she said, her voice breaking.

She also said her husband told her he and Liam weren't being given medicine.

On Thursday, the Trump administration said a pediatrician has examined Liam "and found no medical concerns."

"It is standard policy to provide medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody," Dr. Sean Conley, the acting director of the Office of Health Security, DHS' public health authority, said in a statementshared on X by DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.

"This includes medical, dental, and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, and access to necessary medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care," Conley said in the statement.

Ramos said neither she nor her husband have a criminal record and that the two entered the country legally under the Biden administration's CBP One program, which was later undone by the Trump administration.

Ramos said she would ask the authorities "to give them back to me," referring to her husband and son.

"Please release them," she said.

On Tuesday,a federal judge issued a temporary restrainingorder blocking the Trump administration from removing Liam from the country.

Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas said he visited Liam and his father at the detention center on Wednesday.

"I demanded his release and told him how much his family, his school, and our country loves him and is praying for him," he said on social media.

Tuesday's order prevents them from being removed or transferred outside the District of Western Texas pending a further directive from the court.

The case has drawn scrutiny from critics who have accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement of using children as "bait."

The agency has defended its actions.

"Our officers made multiple attempts to get the alleged mother who was inside the house to take custody of her child," the agency said. "Officers even assured her she would NOT be taken her into custody. The alleged mother refused to accept custody of the child."

byAdministrator

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1/31/2026 05:32:00 PM

‘Mommy, open the door’: Mother recounts her terror as her 5-year-old was taken by ICE

The mother of a5-year-old boy who was takenwith his father in Minnesota last week described her anguish as she watched from a window as imm...

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NFL salary cap to crest $300 million in 2026

NFL teams are expected to have a little extra spending cash for their rosters during the 2026 season.

The NFL informed its clubs on Jan. 30 that the league's salary cap is expected to increase to between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team in 2026, according to a person with knowledge of the announcement. The person spoke to USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity because the numbers were not yet official.

If finalized, the increase would be up to $26.5 million higher than the $279.2 million teams could work with under the 2025 cap.

NFL Network reporterTom Pelisserofirst reported the news. Pelissero reported that the exact number would be finalized before free agency opens on March 11.

Super Bowl VII ring: The Miami Dolphins beat Washington, 14-7, on Jan. 14, 1973.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Super Bowl XVII ring: Washington defeated the Miami Dolphins, 27-17, on Jan. 30, 1983.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Super Bowl XVIII ring: The Los Angeles Raiders beat Washington, 38-9, on Jan. 22, 1984.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Super Bowl XXII ring: Washington defeated the Denver Broncos, 42-10, on Jan. 31, 1988.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Super Bowl XXVI ring: Washington beat the Buffalo Bills, 37-24, on Jan. 26, 1992.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Super Bowl rings through the years

Since thesalary cap's inception in 1994, it has steadily risen from $34 million, topping $100 million in 2006 and $200 million in 2022.

Contributing: USA TODAY NFL reporter Tyler Dragon

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NFL 2026 salary cap to exceed $300 million per team

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1/31/2026 04:04:00 PM

NFL salary cap to crest $300 million in 2026

NFL teams are expected to have a little extra spending cash for their rosters during the 2026 season. Th...

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